The Crying Game
by HarvestBeauty
Summary: A silly contest leads to an unexpected emotional outburst from someone. Group fic.


_A/N: I wrote this because I've always loved it when goofy, lighthearted and comedic characters show unexpected depth and emotion. Plus, I was always curious as to how Richard Kline would pull off a serious scene. Also, I wrote this when I was suffering from a kidney infection, so pardon the over the top, emotional sappiness...I was feeling very weepy at the time._

Jack, Janet, Terri and Larry were sitting in the trio's living room one Friday evening. The roommates shared the couch and Larry was sitting off to the side in the armchair. They were scarfing down pizza and laughing and talking about their days. Jovial excitement about the weekend being ahead of them buzzed throughout the room. Terri and Janet had started having a side conversation about one of Janet's dates and how badly it had gone and of how insensitive he seemed.

"That's the problem with men, Janet." Terri held her head high. "They have no feelings."

Only half listening to the conversation up until that point, both Jack and Larry's interest was piqued at that statement. Jack ooooo'ed, whereas Larry gasped and melodramatically put a hand to his chest as if he'd been shot.

"I resent that." Larry protested.

"Resent it all you want, it's true...especially for _you_." Janet teased. She and Terri laughed gleefully, high fiving each other.

"She's got you there, Lar." Jack smirked.

"I do _so _have feelings!" Larry laughed, although slightly hurt at the accusation.

"You mean besides lust and greed?" Terri countered.

"Those aren't emotions, those are _sins_." Janet reminded her.

"You know what, men can be just as sensitive and in touch with their emotions as women are." Jack nodded enthusiastically. The girls groaned in protest, but Jack continued. "No, let's prove it to you right now. We should have a crying contest, boys versus girls."

Everyone went silent, staring at Jack as if he'd grown three heads.

"A crying contest?" Janet asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"You mean like little children?" Terri quipped.

"Yup!" Jack wasn't backing down. "You and Janet against Larry and me."

Larry nearly choked on his pizza in surprise. He didn't want to be dragged into this.

"Do I have to?" Larry whined.

"And what do we get when we win?" Terri grinned.

"Uh..." Jack faltered a little as he searched for an answer. He hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Nevermind that, Terri." Janet was suddenly excited over the contest, her competitive spirit coming out to play. "Let's kick their butts first."

Jack's words finally caught up with him when it sunk in just how awkward this was going to be. What had he gotten himself into?

"Um...I guess I'll go first." Jack chuckled nervously. He took a few deep breaths to center himself. The girls stared at him intensely, and Larry quirked an eyebrow in amusement...was he really going to do this?

Jack burst into chest heaving, over the top, noisy sobs...the kind that he used when he jokingly fooled Mr Roper into thinking that he and Larry had an affair going on. Larry tossed his head back into hearty laughter, and the girls were cackling noisily. It was hilarious, but Larry knew this much...that he and Jack were screwed. He honestly thought Jack could do a better job than that, with his sensitive looking blue eyes. He chalked it up to nerves, after all, women did have the advantage over men in this area of emotional expression.

"Boy..." Jack shook his head, coming out of it. "That's a lot harder than it sounds. I think I sprained my tear ducts."

"Okay, okay...me next!" Terri was practically bouncing on the sofa with eagerness. She sat up straight and took a deep breath to poise herself. Her beautiful blue eyes welled up with tears, which began to roll down her face after a few seconds. Other than a few uneven gasps of air, she was pretty quiet. It was attractive, soap opera crying...not super convincing, but still miles better than Jack's over the top blubbering.

"Ta-dah!" Terri bowed, reaching for a tissue while the others nodded their approval.

"You're next, Larry!" Janet giggled.

"Oh, please...ladies first. I insist." Larry made a sweeping motion with his hand.

"Um, okay. Sure." Janet nodded. She then looked like a picture of pure concentration and focus. After a few shaky gasps, she then began a gentle weeping, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Awwww..." Larry pouted. He actually felt sorry for her. This was by far the most convincing act. It didn't surprise Larry at all. He knew the sensitive and sweet brunette girl had these kinds of emotions at her fingertips and that she'd be able to cry at the drop of a hat. Anybody going against Janet in a crying contest had might as well quit in order to save face.

"Okay, Larry...you're up!" Bright and sunny as if nothing ever happened, Janet looked up at Larry, smirking like the Cheshire Cat. How on earth did she do that?

"I..._what_?" Larry felt his heart plummet to his stomach. In watching all of the others try to channel their innermost emotions, he had almost forgotten that he had to do it too.

"Come on!" Terri laughed. "We all did it."

"We're screwed." Jack rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Ugh..." Larry winced, groaning in embarrassment. "Do I _have _to?"

"Yes!" Janet and Terri yelled at the same time.

"Can I finish eating first?" Larry wanted to know.

"Nope!" Terri smirked. "Now quit stalling!"

"This is so stupid..." Larry sighed, rolling his eyes. He straightened up in the chair and set his pizza down on his plate. He wiped his hands off with the napkin, beginning to feel very nervous with everyone's eyes on him.

"This is going to be good!" Terri whispered over to Janet, elbowing her playfully. "We've got this won already!"

Everyone eyed Larry, genuinely curious to see how the normally upbeat, happy go lucky used car salesman was going to go about channeling such a vulnerable emotion. Everyone expected something different. Terri predicted melodramatic, crocodile tears and insincerity, Janet thought he was going to just half ass it and go for the stoic 'manly tears' and Jack predicted that Larry would choke and be unable to perform at all.

He threw them all for a loop when he burst into laughter.

"Wrong emotion, Larry!" Terri laughed, while Janet and Jack were also in hysterics due to the unexpected outburst.

"I'm sorry!" Larry hunched over, leaning his head on his knees as he shook with laughter. "Nervous laughter, oh gosh..."

Terri giggled and Janet snickered. Jack shook his head, laughing along as well. If this was a laughing contest, Larry definitely would've won it. Unfortunately, it was not.

"Okay, okay..." Straightening up in his seat, Larry took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get serious.

"What do you want to bet even Mr Furley would be a better crier?" Terri whispered to Janet cheekily, loud enough to be heard.

"That wouldn't surprise me, actually." Janet chuckled.

"Ladies, _please_!" Jack scolded them. "He needs to concentrate." Jack didn't have much faith, to be honest. He knew he'd blown it when he tried it, and that Terri's graceful crying along with Janet's very effective crying meant that the boys pretty much lost to the girls already, unless Larry could turn himself into a spectacular actor within the next 30 seconds. He doubted that Larry could pull this off though...Larry was always smiling, always laughing, joking and fooling around. He was a good time guy and a laid back, mischievous daredevil. He'd never seen a vulnerable side to Larry in all the years that he'd known him, he doubted Larry could just call upon it on a minute's notice.

Larry closed his eyes and quieted his mind, trying to forget the other people in the room. It kind of ticked him off that the others were doubting him and making such rude remarks before he had even done anything yet. He took it as a challenge and really wanted to prove them all wrong, especially Terri, who really seemed intent on psyching him out. Plus, he saw this as literally a performance and, being the showman he was at heart, just wanted to do a really good job in general. His mind whirled and he didn't know where to start, when the thought occurred to him: Focus on what makes you sad.

Larry admitted deep down that he was scared to do so. He liked to have fun, to experience joy and pleasure and to see others enjoying themselves. Larry hated feeling sad, and he hated seeing others feeling sad. It made him feel weak, helpless, hopeless and scared. All of his life he did anything he could to quell those negative emotions, be it sadness, anger, or fear, from ever rising up and taking him over. Occasional drug use, alcohol, gambling, sex, friends, parties, wheeling and dealing used cars, money, food and restaurants, jokes and laughter, jewelry, card games, race cars, sports, music...anything to give him that high, anything to chase the blues away Larry was all for. Now, after running from those feelings his whole life, he'd have to allow himself to experience them fully and honestly, with his friends watching on, no less.

This was really going to suck.

He wanted to back out, when he heard an amused giggle from Terri. There was no way he could back down now. Challenge accepted. Tuning the others out, he allowed his mind to wander to his most dreaded experiences and thoughts. Time slowed down.

Deep down, family and friends were everything to Larry. And, although he would never admit it, he also really wanted love...true love. He wanted an excuse to throw his little black book away forever and to have that special person in his life. He was tiring of the dating game and of a different girl every week. The whole thing was getting a bit bleak and depressing, to be honest. How many cheap, sleazy affairs could one guy have and still feel so lonely?

His breath began to hitch unevenly in his throat and his eyes stung with unshed tears. His throat began to ache with emotion. The slight change in his breathing pattern did not go unnoticed, particularly by Terri.

"Oh my gosh, he's actually doing it..." Terri whispered, fascinated.

"Shhhh!" Jack and Janet shushed her at the same time.

_You ain't seen nothing yet... _A part of Larry's psyche warned her in his head.

Larry recalled other memories as well. He remembered being bullied severely in elementary school, until he decided to become the ultimate class clown and trouble maker in order to avoid being picked on. He remembered a high school senior girl taking his virginity when he was just a freshman, and how she treated him like he didn't matter to her afterwards...it was the first time, but certainly not the last, that Larry thought he was in love. He remembered his father committing suicide that same year, when he was 14, which led Larry into becoming somewhat of a delinquent. He recalled how lonely and isolated he felt while he served four years in the Marines straight out of high school.

His breaths became shakier and less even and tears now began to spill over his cheeks.

Jack, Janet and Terri stared at him in shock. Janet could feel her own eyes begin to well up in response.

Larry began thinking about the people in this apartment building, specifically in this room. Larry always called everyone pal, buddy, baby, angel, sweetheart and other informal nicknames and he always said "I love you" with ease. Most people just assumed he was being fresh, but Larry actually felt love and affection for various people in his life very strongly, and not just for the women he dated either. The truth was that Larry fancied himself a lover, not a fighter and he fell in love quickly and deeply...the problem was is that it led to trouble in Larry's love life because he could never keep that love contained to one person and fell in love with multiple ladies all at once. He didn't do it to hurt anyone, that's just how he was.

He also loved his family members, friends and acquaintances. He couldn't imagine his life without Janet's sweet and sensible nature and girl-next-door quality. He admired Terri's beauty and intelligence and had tremendous guilt over how he'd gotten off on the wrong foot with her (and he knew this was why she seemed so wary of him most of the time). He looked forward to seeing Mr Furley's wardrobe choices, hearing his corny jokes and he felt particularly warm hearted when their little group included the older man in their activities and antics...he loved that they could make someone who felt lonely like they belonged. Most of all, he loved Jack like a brother. He couldn't imagine his world without his very best friend...the one person he could always count on, the one he always knew would be there for him and pull through for him. He hoped he could be a fraction of the kind of friend to Jack that Jack was to him. He didn't ever want this to end, for this little family to break apart.

Yet, in the back of his mind, Larry knew that all things came to an end. People died, moved away and changed their living circumstances all the time. They'd already lost Chrissy a while ago when the sweet, bubbly blonde moved back to Fresno to live with her parents. Cindy had moved to UCLA to pursue a veterinarian degree after living with Jack and Janet for just under a year. He knew that lovely girls like Janet and Terri were bound to get married and move on with their lives eventually, as was Jack someday. Lana disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared in their lives, the Ropers had moved away, and poor Mr Furley wasn't going to be around forever (although Larry hoped his ending would be much happier than that). Things change and although people always swear they won't let life circumstances come in between their friendships, they almost always do. All good things came to an end, if not through moving or marriage, then through death. They were all doomed when it came to that, as was everyone else on the planet...they were all going to be torn forcibly away from each other someday through death. Larry could assume that Mr and Mrs Roper would go first, and then Mr Furley and then Lana. Out of the "kids" of their group, it was a crapshoot. They had a large age range: Cindy was just 21 years old, Jack, Janet, Chrissy, and Terri were all in their late 20's and early 30's, Larry was in his mid 30's. Larry assumed he would go before any of them because he was the oldest and also because of his wild, self destructive lifestyle, but he wasn't entirely sure. Illnesses and accidents happened all the time. But they were all going to reach that final destination eventually, and thinking about it depressed the hell out of Larry and scared him. Nevermind what was waiting for him and for all of them on the other side, or even if there was one. Larry hadn't exactly been a great person 24/7, and it sometimes made him wonder if there really was a place called Hell and if he was destined to go there after death. The past hurt, the present had its moments, but it was the future that scared Larry the most and kept him up at night.

It was all becoming too much, too overwhelming. This is why he tried to ignore these feelings as much as he could. Quite frankly, life was scary when you stopped to think about it. This is why Larry never, under any circumstances, wanted the party to stop.

Jack, Terri and Janet continued to watch their friend quietly implode. His eyes were still closed and he was sitting straight and absolutely still in the armchair, his hands were gripping the arms of the chair tightly. He was taking in shaky gasps of air as tears continued to stream down his face. His expression was pained. He was trembling. If this was an act, it was a darn good one.

"Larry?" Janet tentatively asked. "Are you okay?"

Startled, Larry's eyes snapped open. He couldn't see his friends clearly due to tears blurring his vision, but he assumed they were freaking out, which made him feel even more panicked in his chest. He had forgotten they were even there during his little trip down memory lane.

"Hey, Lar..." Jack teased gently, trying to lighten the mood. "I think you won it for us. You can stop now."

Larry burst into nervous laughter at what Jack had said. The truth was, he couldn't stop crying...it was really embarrassing. The laughing just made it worse. The laughter morphed into sobbing and Larry slumped forward, burying his face into both of his hands. His shoulders were racked with emotion and he began crying painfully hard.

Alarmed, the trio looked helplessly at one another for a few seconds before getting up off the couch and moving over to Larry, pushing the table out of the way in order to make more room. The girls bent down on either side of him and Jack knelt down in front of him.

Terri's heart broke at Larry's inconsolable sobs. It reminded her of something she'd seen at the hospital too many times to count, but she'd never had it hit so close to home before. She never expected it from Larry, of all people. It began to scare her a little, and her heart twinged with regret at her constant sarcasm and guarded behavior toward him.

"Larry..." Terri rubbed his back soothingly. "Larry, I'm sorry we pushed you. We shouldn't have made fun of you like that."

"Yeah, whatever we did to cause you to feel this way, we're really, really sorry." Janet chimed in nervously.

"Hey, Larry...come on, buddy. You're scaring us here. Try to calm down." Jack pleaded.

Through sobs and gasps, Larry tried desperately to get it together. He hated losing it like this. He also hated the fact that his friends thought that they had done something to warrant such a reaction, nothing could be further from the truth.

"You...you..." Larry gasped out, trying to catch his breath. He wound his fingers through his dark hair, groaning in frustration at his inability to form words at the moment.

"What?" Terri encouraged gently. "What was that?"

"You guys didn't do anything..." Larry choked out, raising his head to look at Janet. "You guys didn't do _anything _to make me feel this way."

Relieved at the statement and the fact that Larry was starting to calm down enough so he could speak, Janet tenderly raked her fingers through his thick, dark locks.

"Then what is it, honey?" Janet asked him sweetly.

"Yeah, what on earth did you think about to make you feel this way?" Jack was curious, concerned.

"It's just that..." Larry clamped a hand over his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and tensed up, feeling a fresh wave of tears coming on. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down for a moment. "I just love you guys a whole lot. You have no idea. I love you guys so much!"

Everyone's jaws dropped at the unexpected statement. Sure, they've heard declarations of love from Larry Dallas before...about the girls he was seeing, directed towards them...but always in a casual manner...never with such emotion and force behind them before. They didn't even think Larry was capable of such emotion.

"Well, we love you too...come here, Lar!" Jack stood up. Smiling warmly, Jack pulled Larry up from the armchair into a standing position and wrapped his arms around him in a big bear hug. Naturally a touchy feely person, Larry returned the hug and buried his face into Jack's shoulder, crying harder than ever.

Instinctively, the girls joined in on the hug, making it a group entanglement. Terri embraced Larry from behind and Janet wrapped her arms around him from the side. Janet, Terri and Jack exchanged glances quietly, each beginning to tear up a little. They wondered why they didn't have more moments like this, this was truly nice. The honesty, truth and sincerity coming from Larry gave Janet chills. For Terri, she recognized this as a cathartic moment for Larry and predicted good changes for him from here on out and couldn't wait to get to know him better. Jack had found a new respect for Larry and doubted he would ever see him the same way again. He wondered how or even if Larry would ever acknowledge this breakdown when he eventually returned to normal. As Larry clung to him, weeping softly and shaking, Jack realized that it didn't really matter...things had changed for the better from here on out.

The pizza lay on the table, growing cold and all but forgotten.

THE END


End file.
